LiDAR DRONE SERVICES, LLC

OPERATIONS MANUAL

1. PHILOSOPHY

The mission of the company is to provide the safe and efficient use of our Unmanned Aerial

Vehicles (“UAVs”) in obtaining geo­spatial data for our clients. UAVs can be utilized to save the

client the high cost of hiring airplanes or helicopters to acquire this information.

Every UAV pilot shall be well trained, thoroughly familiar with our operating and safety

procedures for utilizing this equipment and will abide by all FAA Regulations regarding flight

and personnel.

2. ADMINISTRATION

a. Organization

The enterprise is set up in the state of Maryland as a Limited Liability Company

(“LLC”). It is currently comprised of 4 people who are all principals and owners in the

firm.

b. Personnel

David Hilger, President and Sales Manager, is in charge of procuring clients and

maintaining the accounting and record keeping of the company. He is responsible for

contact with the FAA and regulations as they change and is listed as the Resident Agent

(required by Maryland Law) which is the liaison with the State.

Alex Hilger, Chief UAV Pilot, is in charge of training, flight and maintenance records.

He insures all jobs are done in compliance with FAA Regulations, Policy and Standards

of the airspace for safe and effective operation of the UAVs in accordance with the

manufacturer’s approved flight manual.

Mark Dhruv, Chief GeoSpatial Officer, is in charge of delivering data gathered from the

UAVs to the client. He acts as an observer and operates gimbal for the lidar and camera.

Once the UAV has landed, he ensures that the data has processed properly in accordance

with the clients needs before leaving the job site and placing it into ArcGIS mapping

software and CAD programs.
Milton Hilger, Chief Civil Engineer, is in charge of laying out the missions to ensure

surveys will deliver clients needs. He is the contact with engineering, survey and real

estate development firms.

c. Facilities

UAVs will be kept at the company headquarters, 2504 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD

21218. Personnel will not leave our office without making sure the premise is locked and

secure.

3. SAFETY POLICY

a. Safety

The company is committed to having a safe and healthy work environment so that no

harm comes to personnel, equipment or property. We will continually monitor the best

safe practices of the UAV community to ensure they are incorporated into our firm. We

are committed to ongoing safety training and will regularly operate audits of our

procedures. All employees of the company shall be encouraged to give any suggestions in

the interest of safety at our regular weekly meetings.

b. Operations

All of our operations shall be done in the safest manner possible with procedures for

handling emergencies. Personnel will report any safety problem associated with the

equipment and/or location immediately. Pilots and observers shall review our safety

checklist before starting a job. Clients will be notified, will understand and will sign in

advance of any job, that our operations require their employees will have to move

themselves so as not to be standing under or in the way of our UAV operations during the

mapping surveys.

c. Safety Training

All personnel in the organization shall receive training in the safe handling of our

equipment and emergency procedures, to include:

(1) Take­off and landing procedure;

(2) Loss of control data link; and

(3) Abort procedure following critical system failure.

4. TRAINING

a. All company UAV pilots shall be FAA licensed pilot with one of the following

ratings:
● sport

● recreation

● private

b. Furthermore, pilots shall have completed a UAV course of study at a company

approved school that includes:

● Controls, avionics, batteries, safety and procedures, systems,

maintenance, setup, FAA regulations and compliance, records and

logbooks, UAV registration and markings

● Multi­Rotor flight, accomplishing basic flight dynamics,

maneuvers and theory

● Learn precision control, medium to advanced flight skills and

emergency recovery and resource management

● At least 20 hours of actual UAV flight time.

c. UAV pilots shall become thoroughly familiar with manufacturer's manual for:

● DJI s900

● Spectrum Controller DX 18

d. Before pilots fly with the s900 equipped and the expensive sensors they will be

taken as an observer with a Chief UAV Pilot and see how they operate the drone. Under

Chief UAV Pilots supervision, pilot Trainees will fly for 5 hours before they are allowed

to pilot the UAV themselves. Instruction shall include that if the drone has completed its

mission and the data collected is corrupted or for any reason unusable they will fly the

mission again.

e. Training shall include abrupt landing procedure by putting the UAV into manual

mode and bring it back to nearest safe place should the gps begins to fail and the drone

begins to fly away.

f. Pilots and Observers shall be trained on company procedure for filling out logs

which include (before and after) voltage, time, flight time, abnormalities in flight, size in

gigabytes of data collected, and any additional notes.

5. GENERAL OPERATING PROCEDURES

a. Planning Phase

The nature of the site is evaluated, based on existing maps (e.g. Google Maps) and field

visits. Preliminary questions will include: can the survey be safely carried out? For

example; aircraft should never be flown in close proximity to dense groups of individuals
or indeed to any individuals who are not under the direct control of the UAV Pilot or the

client. Power lines should entirely preclude the use of a UAV.

Factors such as dense foliage or strong coastal winds will have a negative impact on

survey results. However, partial tree cover can still allow for useful results because the

LiDAR can go through the tree leaves.

b. Pre­Flight Phase

1. Site Selection

● Check for obstructions

● Birds and animals (dogs) nearby

● Bystanders are at least 30 yards away from take­off and landing

● Buffer zones between UAV and people

● Check land contours, ensuring a line of sight towards the UAV

always, so telemetry is not obstructed.

● Have alternative landing sites if take­off site is obstructed.

2. Personal considerations

● Not tired

● Not rushed

● Not bothered by client

3. Weather considerations

● Temperature

● Visibility

● Precipitation

● Wind Speed

4 Notify any nearby persons or client employees of what you are doing.

5. Discuss flight plan with Observer

6. If flying in controlled airspace, have you notified airspace authority

● NOTAMs

● Can you reach authorities

● Do you have to maintain communication

7. First Aid Kit nearby

8. Equipment

● Inspect

● Loose or damaged screws, ties and fasteners, wires
● Check mounts and screws, applying slight counter pressure on

arms to check for loosened components

● LiDAR, inspect & clean sensor lens and ensure it is secured and

connections are firmly attached

● LiDAR & Camera settings are correct

● Batteries are fully charged, properly seated

● Fail­safe equipment functioning

○ RTL (return to launch)

○ Firmware Airport Proximity Detection Functioning

● Props not damaged & free of debris

● Prop adapters are tight & secure

● Voltage alarm is connected

● Arming & idle timeout is proper

● RC transmitter shows proper range and centering for sticks

● Do range test

9. Power­On Check List

● All transmitter, on­board aircraft and batteries are fully charged

● Propeller hardware and rotor blades turn smoothly

● Check location of GPS equipment

● Check the IMU movements in the ground control software.

● UAV in stabilization mode, control surfaces move towards the

correct positions

● UAV is in a level location safe for takeoff

● SD memory clear inserted into the camera

● Begin recording LiDAR and camera data

● All transmitter trims in neutral position

● Transmitter throttle is held at zero percent

● Radio transmitter on

● Connect power on battery to airframe

● Ensure led indicators and audible tones are correct

● Scan for nearby cars, people, animals

● Audibly state “CLEAR!”

● Arm flight controller

● Increase throttle slightly listening for any abnormalities

● Short 20­30 second hover at 3­5 feet (listen for vibrations & loose

items)

● Confirm Voltage levels are correct

c. In­Flight Survey Phase

● Flying manually, always keep your fingers on the

controller/transmitter.

● Never let the UAV out of your sight
● Climb to a safe altitude away from potential hazards and to reduce

noise pollution.

● Keep aircraft at a safe operating distance from people, electric

utility lines and buildings

● Maintain a safe altitude for recovery in the event of an emergency

● Observer ensures UAV is on a safe flight course

● Do not fly UAVs within distance defined by local laws of any

private or commercial airport

● Whether manual or automated UAV landing, scan landing area for

potential obstruction hazards.

● Announce out loud “Preparing to Land”.

● Carefully land the aircraft away from obstructions and people.

d. Post Flight

● Shutting Down: Turn the power off to the aircraft and/or

disconnect the batteries.

● Turn off the transmitter.

● Turn the power off to the photo equipment & LiDAR

● Visually check aircraft for signs of damage and/or excessive wear.

● Remove the unused fuel if applicable. Secure the aircraft.

● Remove LiDAR and camera SD cards to verify point clouds and

photographic overlay are accurate. If data (point clouds) is not

useable or corrupted fly mission again.